Slow Progress in Reaching Goals for 2000 Reported

With three years to go before the new millennium, America's schools
are still showing slow progress in reaching the educational benchmarks
established in the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, a report released
last week says.

While the proportion of the nation's children born with health risks
has dropped since the goals were adopted in 1990 and the Goals 2000 law
was enacted in 1994, there has been no significant parallel change in
high school completion rates or most indicators of student achievement,
notes the report from the federal National Education Goals Panel.

Moreover, the gap in achievement for white and minority children as
defined by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, continues
to widen.

"Building a Nation of Learners, 1996" reports that national school
performance has improved significantly in five core areas, worsened in
eight, and remained unchanged in 10 others.

Among the encouraging news, however, 22 states met the goal of
graduating 90 percent of their high school students in 1994; 8th
graders' performance on the NAEP mathematics tests improved in eight
states; and, in at least nine states, more students are enrolling in
college.

The annual report also highlights a greater incidence of drug use
among students since last year and more threats or injuries to teachers
since 1991.

The national goals state that, by 2000: All children will start
school ready to learn; the high school graduation rate will increase to
90 percent; students in grades 4, 8, and 12 will demonstrate competency
in nine core academic areas; teachers will have access to continual
professional-development opportunities; the United States will be first
in international comparisons of math and science achievement; adult
literacy will be universal; schools will be free of drugs and violence;
and all schools will increase parent involvement.

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